


won't walk away

by braigwen_s



Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra
Genre: Concern, Families of Choice, Found Family, Friendly Bickering, Gen, Lin Avoids A Conversation By Starting A Whole New One, Momboss and Detectiveson, Pai Sho, Post-Series, fluff with plot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-15
Updated: 2019-12-15
Packaged: 2021-02-25 05:42:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 819
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21811018
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/braigwen_s/pseuds/braigwen_s
Summary: Mako, Republic City's Chief of Police, pays a disgruntled visit to his supposedly-retired predecessor, the day after dangerous interference in a raid.  She has something she needs to tell him, too, and neither are too happy.  More with the situations, and less with each other.  In fact, they're quite fond of each other.
Relationships: Lin Beifong & Mako
Comments: 2
Kudos: 56





	won't walk away

“Lin,” said Mako, rubbing at the bridge of his nose, “I thought we had agreed that all you’d – illegally, I might point out – involve yourself in was paperwork.”

“Oh, no, we definitely did,” said Lin. She brushed a lock of white hair back behind her ear, suddenly nervous. There had been an almost unanimous conclusion to induct Mako – in no small part because Republic City’s Chief of Police had been found to be a useful asset – but the moment itself had to be delicately handled. Delicacy wasn’t really her specialty. “I wasn’t at the warehouse because there would be a police raid of a hate group.”

“Oh, really,” Mako ground out. Koh, he was actually angry, and it was too much to ask that anger to be at her interference, not out of concern for her safety. She loved the boy right back, but there was no need to be so _obvious_. “Then why, may I ask, were you there?”

“I was at the warehouse because there was a hate group.”

For a few moments, he looked inclined to burst out laughing. “How much did you complain about vigilante interference – are you just trying to make my life harder, or what, Lin?”

“That wasn’t me trying to make your life harder.” She held up a hand for silence before he could snap back, and he obeyed, both eyebrows raised. “This is me trying to make your life harder: I am a member of an ancient society, believed by some people – morons – to no longer be secret. A group that transcends the divisions of the nations. I am a Grand Lotus, Mako, and that doesn’t come with a retirement option. And – close your mouth, I haven’t even started to make your life harder! And as of now, you are a White Lotus Sentry. I won’t say it wasn’t my idea, but it wasn’t just my decision.”

His mouth was open again – actually, it was just hanging there, his jaw unhinged like a deep-water fish of some kind. “What,” he said, then “why,” and then he repeated that, quite angrily: “why, why, why, why, why!”

“You asking me,” she said, “or the universe?”

He glared at her, the hand next to his mug of tea a fist and looking quite inclined to scorch her table. That was alright, it was stone, she could always repair it later. “Hhng, let me – let me get this right. You scare me half to death by nearly killing yourself every other weekend, you tell me you have no choice, and then you immediately inform me I’ve just been stuck in the same boat. Why. Why would you do that?”

Because it hurt her to condemn him to this, and she preferred to just rip the plaster off and hear him yell once, short and sweet. “Evasion’s never been my style, kid.”

“Except when it’s about feelings.”

“Shut your mouth, brat, I never had two girlfriends at once.”

“Well, Tenzin did.” Not only did she watch him realize what he’d just said, she also watched a very distinct grief process of denial-anger-depression-bargaining-acceptance cross his face. It was rather fascinating. She spared him having to address it.

“Thank you, Mako, I love to be reminded of that, and I’m sure Pema does too. Look. When I was in my twenties, I was inducted in quite a similar fashion.”

“Who by?” said Mako, as if this person were evidently responsible for teaching her the worst possible way of having this conversation, and he could handily blame them for it. Now, that hurt a little.

“Zuko,” she said, prefixing the name with neither “lord” not “uncle”. If she had to pick a word for how she truly thought of Mako, it was common knowledge it would be “son” – in the same way, if she had to pick a word for Zuko, well. She touched the necklace at her throat. She’d never been a jewelry person, but she’d worn it every day since he’d bequeathed it. Mako looked appropriately chastened, lowering his head in a small show of respect and shame. She pardoned him, waving him up. “You know where the pai sho set is, don’t you? Fetch it. You need, at least, to learn some basics.”

He stood, made his way to the drawer where it was kept, and returned to set it on the table. She shifted the pieces to their proper starting positions. “By the end of the game,” she said, “the board should follow the pattern of the lotus tile.”

“I just have one question before we start,” said Mako, his mug of tea long forgotten. She gestured for him to speak his mind. “Were you actually going to induct me today, or did you just want to escape a telling-off, and assumed I’d allow your foolhardy little stunt if it came with an attached higher purpose?”

Sometimes she greatly regretted teaching him everything she knew.

**Author's Note:**

> You know the drill, toss a comment to your author.


End file.
